In the tropics the sun passes overhead twice during the year. On these two days, at local noon, the sun will be exactly overhead and an upright object such as a flag pole will have no shadow. This phenomenon only occurs in the tropics; the sun is never overhead in any other part of the planet.

The term "La haina" "means cruel sun' in Hawaiian, and while the sun in the islands is never really cruel, it can be pretty intense as it shines directly down from the zenith. This tropical "High noon' is thought to be a time of great mana (spiritual power) in the Hawaiian culture.

We went out at 12:35 today with Akash to test Siva's cosmological watchworks. Taking Akash's picture without a shadow was compelling. But what about the 55-foot-tall falgpole? Yes, it too had NO shadow (Except for the knot of the rope on the side and the cloth flag high above.



It happens May 31 and again on July 11.

Aloha One and All,

Continuing with our progress on Iraivan Temple, a crane was recently brought into the monastery to lift tens of thousands of pounds of heavy granite tiles up from the ground onto the foundation in readiness for the August-October installation. The foundation is currently bare concrete, but when the lengthy and much more complex than you think process of fitting the stones is complete, there will be an elegant red granite floor where pilgrims will walk. We look forward to showing you (and seeing for ourselves) its completed form!

Aum Namah Sivaya

A short aerial video showing the water system running through Kauai's Hindu Monastery. The system is fed by a reservoir that receives its water from the Wailua River. The water from the reservoir then flows out to reach the monastery grounds. It winds through streams and ponds, supporting wildlife such as birds, crawdads, insects, thousands of fish and even freshwater turtles. Not to mention the many plants that thrive along the rivers edge. It is also utilizes in agricultural efforts. Our cows drink from it and we use it for growing papayas and watering crops in the garden as well as in our self-sustaining greenhouses.

Aum Sivaya! You might want to reconsider reading today's post as it might be too powerful for mere mortals' minds. You have been warned! Today a fierce new fence and accompanying gate have been installed near the start of San Marga. With the new Iraivan Temple parking lot area now open to the public, this enchanted swamp green gate will keep the uninvited from gazing upon Iraivan's celestial glory. It took less than a day to construct this fence but its sturdy frame will allow it to resist our weather's potent power of dissolution. Hopefully soon these gates will open for you so that you might deliquesce in Iraivan's glory. Aum Aum Aum

How does the One appear as two? We don't know, but what we do know is that some stunning stone murtis and lingams are on their way to Kauai along with the final stone shipments needed to complete Iraivan temple. All of them are carved by adept artisans from the same site where Iraivan's stones are crafted. These stone carved items will be put up for sale in the mini mela for anyone to buy.

Everyone likes to have something new, how about having a happy new Year!

Today, the Sun moved into the sign of Mesha (Aries) which marks the beginning of a new year on many Indian calendars including those of South India.

For us it is the time for beginning our new spring season, the Nartana Ritau!

Nartana Ritau, the season of Dancing with Siva, begins on Tamil New Year. This is the period of creation, the warm season, from mid-April through mid-August. The key word of this season is planning. The colors are orange, yellow-gold and all shades of green-orange for renunciation, yellow-gold for action and green for regeneration.

High above, the main flag flies the color orange, heralding the Nartana Ritau throughout this season, symbolizing sadhana and self-control. The other colors adorn smaller flags. This is the season of giving special attention to those in the grihastha ashrama. It is a time of awakening, renewal, review. The emphasis is on seeing ahead, planning for future years. It is a time of planning retreats and other activities for youths and adults for the entire year.
The Saiva Dharma Shastras are studied; and any needed additions in supplementary manuals, representing new growth, are made. The practical focus is completion of unfinished projects. Secular holidays to observe among the families include Mother's Day in May, Father's Day in June and Grandparent's Day in August.

This season of harvest and new growth is also the time to review and reestablish picking and planting routines for the gardens. It is a time for ordering seeds and plants for the year, of planting trees, fragrant vines and the annual crop. Review is made for scheduling the care of all realms of the Aadheenam's acreage. Kadavul temple and the Guru Temple are cleaned and renewed during this season and the adjacent grounds receive special, abundant attention. Karma yogis are invited to help in this and other areas with planting and weeding, digging, fertilizing, fence repair and more. The daily sadhana is the Sivachaitanya Panchatantra: experiencing nada, jyoti, prana, bhakti and darshana. In Sanskrit, it is a time of learning new slokas and mantras. In the family community, prasnottara satsanga is held for one and all to attend. Families plan for their annual pilgrimage. Shrine rooms are renewed and redecorated for the year, and the clothing of all is renewed in the Hindu style of the current fashion. It is a time of doing things for others, religious outreach. It is a time of hatha yoga and philosophical teaching.

May your new year be filled with blessings, enjoy the photos of our monks raising the season's bright orange flag. Aum!

Every weekend our SSC sishyas conduct online satsang, which Satguru joins partway through to give a presentation. Recently one of the attendees shared a nice testimony, which sishya Jiva Rajasankara in Bangalore heard. He got inspired to connect with the man to find out more about him. His name is Madan Ganesh, with wife Sumathi and two children. It turns out they also live in Bangalore, just a half hour drive away.
Jiva learned that Madan's family found Gurudeva's teachings online a couple of years ago and are now formal students of the Master Course and supporters of Kauai Aadheenam activities. Jiva invited the family to visit the carving worksite to meet in person and see the last two container's worth of temple items being shipped to Kauai. They were inspired to the point of deciding to sponsor the gold earring for Iraivan Temple's new Nandi, and also expressed their wish to become formal sishyas of our parampara some day. Here are a few photos of the family.

Aum Namah Sivaya

Several days ago, during the lunar retreat, several of our monks headed down the hill to Kealia Beach just north of Kapaa, for a beautiful stroll along the oceanside walkway. Arriving just in time to see the sunrise begin, our monks capture a few lovely photos of our island's natural radiance. Aum.

Over the last retreat, Siddhanathaswami, Tillainathaswami, Yogi Dayanatha and Alexander traveled to the southern shores of our island for a beautiful hike along the Maha'ulepu cliffs. The cliffs are made of countless layers of compacted sand and lava rock. They are slowly being eroded by the powerful ocean waves, creating unique and stunning formations along the cliffside. This part of the coast is also incredibly windy, with constant gusts that make it hard to hear anything else apart from the clapping of the salty waves.

The hike began with a walk along the Makauwahi cave trail, which leads past this ancient cave and down to the Makauwahi tortoise reserve. After that our adventurers made their way along Maha'ulepu Beach and around the point to Kawailoa Bay Beach which marks the beginning of our cliffside walk leading to Kamala Point.

"From the top of the mountain looking down, you see the natural role of a raging ocean and the steep cliffs below--they are beautiful. From the bottom of the mountain, the ocean can appear ominous and the cliffs treacherous. The fact remains that deep inside you is perfection. So, you see, you have a choice. You can remain in the valley, live in fear of the stormy ocean of life and death, or you can scale the nearby mountain and see from the top how it is from that perspective. Either way, you and everyone in the world are all right in the now." - Gurudeva

"Nom nom nom"

This morning, this happy snail was fed an apple slice by our taksforcer Alexander, who took a timelapse of the little creature's lengthy meal. These lands snails are one of the largest terrestrial snails. Full-grown, they can reach almost 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter and 8 inches (20 cm) in length. These gastropods are also surprisingly intelligent, being closely related to cephalopods like octopuses and squid.