Trenching for water piping and optical fiber continued from the San Marga parking lot corner down the pasture slope and to the edge of our water ditch winding through our property and feeding the ponds. The second photo shows the ditch, and Pradip, our contractor, is going to dig a tunnel underneath the ditch to sending the piping through. Then he will continue trenching parallel to the San Marga Path.

The third photo shows a just-painted pyramid structure that will hold about 130 small kumbhas for the first annual Iraivan Temple anniversary pujas on April 11-12. More preparatory photos will come soon.

Jai Ganesha!
Today Kodiswara arrived on Kauai after many hours travel from Malaysia. He had spend a full 6 months here on our taskforce program in 2016, so he knows the monastery well. Despite the long flight, he was full of energy once at the Aadheenam again.

Kodishwara is already under the formal pledge of an aspirant and is here to pursue monastic life.

"In enjoyment, there is the fear of disease; in social position, the fear of losing face; in wealth, the fear of government; in honor, the fear of humiliation; in power, the fear of enemies; in beauty, the fear of old age; in scriptural erudition, the fear of opposing views; in virtue, the fear of temptation; in body, the fear of death. All the things of this world pertaining to man are attended with fear; renunciation alone stands for fearlessness." Vairagya Shatakam 31

It is said the greatest offering to God Siva is our love and gratitude, both of which are embedded in the traditional Bharatanatyam dance, offered for thousands of years in Hindu temples (with about 90 years hiatus when the British colonials banned it). Kadavul Temple and devotees were blessed to have such an offering, performed by Fenulla Jiwani during the alankara. She shopped at the Kapaa Farmers' Market the following day and prepared an Italian pasta dish and fresh salad for the monks.

One of the unique features of her dance is this: the last time she performed it in public was 23 years ago. And she still soared. Enjoy the short slideshow.

After over fifty years of being on this land, we are finally bringing a underground water line and fiber-optic cable out to the future site of Iraivan Temple's parking and reception center, then all the way down next to Iraivan Temple.

The photos show the first stage now complete, having reached the corner of the future parking lot.

Watch Satguru's latest Publisher's Desk Video from his article in Hinduism Today magazine. This article as well as the rest of Hinduism Today's April/May/June, 2024 issue is now available online at https://www.hinduismtoday.com/.

At our leased 400 acres across the Wailua River, a tractor is used frequently to mow grass between the rows of noni fruit trees and hardwood trees. Our Branson-brand tractor was starting to break down too frequently, so we found a John Deere tractor in the midwest of mainland US, waited for temperatures to warm so it could be moved onto on a hauling truck to be moved to California, and now it's finally here getting blessed.

The blessing took place at the new home of the Ganesha murti that used to be on San Marga path. Arati was shown, a coconut broken, and limes crushed under the wheels to ward off any asuric forces. The tractor is now hard at work across the river.

Om Namah Sivaya

Recently we celebrated our monthly padapuja to Sivaya Subramuniyaswami during the timing of the Chitra nakshatra. Sannyasin Tillainathaswami and Sadhaka Vatshalanatha performed the puja while other mathavasis chanted Sri Rudram. Local members and devotees brought an abundance of beautiful flowers and enjoyed the peaceful darshan of Gurudeva.

"It is the interplay between our experience and how we respond to it that makes karma devastating or helpfully invigorating" - Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Those CyberCadets who visit TAKA or read our books well know the amazing artwork of S. Rajam (10 February 1919 29 January 2010) musician and painter from Tamil Nadu. He worked on our art commissions for decades and by a small miracle we acquired his life's work, some 60 years worth, which we brought to Kauai and have kept in an archive container.

Amy-Ruth Holt, PhD in Art History (Ohio State University), came to know of the collection and flew to Kauai with her daughter, Maya, to spend five days cataloging and photographing key parts of the collection.

They have been sorting through the hundreds of paintings, all roughly organized in large manila envelopes, bringing new clarity to our collection. We thank you both for this important (and tedious) work, something only an expert could accomplish.

And we honor S. Rajam. His work lives on in every corner of our mission.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Satguru Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

"Each experience that we have is a good experience, because it molds us. It shapes us, just like an artist would mold a piece of clay. From an ugly hunk of clay can emerge a divine being, molded by the artist. In that same way, the experiences of life, even those that boomerang back on us and those we think are terrible, mold us. But they only mold us quickly and benefit us tremendously if we hold our perspective as the inner man, the timeless man, the immortal being. Only in this way can this happen. That’s the attitude, the thoughts we must have, as we go along on the path of enlightenment."

As we learned yesterday, this year marks the 60th since Yogaswami took his Great Departure on March 20, 1964. We opened The Guru Chronicles to visit that day and other moments in his remarkable life:

One morning a man came to share his life's sorrows with Swami, complaining that he had several daughters and could not afford the dowries that would be required to get them married. Now one had received a pro-posal. Wordless, Yogaswami reached into his veshti (into that hip pocket that is really just the cloth folded in upon itself) and handed the man ten thousand rupees for the dowry. Other fathers he told not to worry, that men would marry their daughters based on their merits. Invariably, it came to be. S. Shanmugasundaram recounts how Swami once called upon other devotees to assist a man with his daughter's dowry:

"Yogaswami's heart was full of love and compassion for everyone. Whether he smiles at you or scorns you, whether he embraces you or kicks you, every act of his is an act of love and grace. Without any outward show, he would shower so much compassion on all beings. The care and concern he had for those in need was immeasurable. He never disappointed any sincere devotee who approached him with a problem.

One fine morning, Yogaswami was seated in his hut with two devotees in front of him. He was chatting on various topics. An old man came there and stood outside the hut. Swami summoned him inside and asked, "How is everything going with you?" Without uttering a word in reply, the man broke down crying and sobbed for two or three minutes.

"Then Swami spoke, "Don't worry. Siva will show you a way out of your difculties. You may now go home in peace." The man left as directed and Swami addressed the two devotees who remained, "He is a good-hearted man. He is experiencing some difculty in giving his daughter in marriage. She is 26 years old, and a cousin of hers is willing to marry her if the father will at least provide her with the minimum jewelry. Why don't one of you help him?"

Immediately A. Thillyampalam offered to do the needful. Excusing himself, he ran after the man and got his name and address. The next day he went to his house and presented him with a gift of Rs. 5,000. The man was overjoyed. Without any delay, he got all the necessary jewelry made and gave the daughter in marriage.