The Mango Mandapam
April 30, 2013Work continues on renovating the Mango Mandapam. Thought it is now without its mango tree, the mandapam is being greatly improved. It has a new wall around its base and has been made taller. Doug (left) has been working on the framing and supports, and today a large group of...
Staghorn ferns
April 30, 2013A few days bak our neighbor took down a giant tree in his compound, and on it were hundreds of mature Staghorn ferns. He gifted them to the monastery, and today Sadasivanathaswami (ahead in the trackhoe) and Adi Srikantha (behind the camera) moved them to a spot near Iraivan. }...
Wailua Mission Rudraksha Day
April 29, 2013Yesterday the Wailua Mission gathered for their Rudraksha day. They have all worked very hard to collect and gather the seeds, followed by cleaning, drilling and oiling them. On this day they string them into malas and craft jewelry for sale in the Mini Mela. We are all very thankful...
Aadheenam Acquires New Land
April 28, 2013The deed is done, literally and otherwise. Escrow has closed on the acquisition of 19 acres of land adjacent to Kauai's Hindu Monastery. We are calling it "Siva Pannai," Siva's Farm. This is such an historic event it deserves a short story... Back in 1975 Gurudeva had just acquired the...
Darshan meetings today
April 28, 2013These are some of the families described in the previous post, plus a new arrival Rajeev and Manju Bhargava from Anchorage, Alaska Srinivas Bhamidipaty, his parents-in-law and close friend. Before this meeting, they spent a couple hours at Dakshinamurti platform chanting Mahanyasa Yogesh and Vidya Alekal are visiting from southern...
Today's Visitors
April 28, 2013Multiple families attended our morning 6am Siva homa and than toured the grounds afterwards. From right to left-- Padma and Prabhakar Neppalli on far right are from California; Rajeev and Manju Bhargava are from Alaska and have been involved with the temple project there since they met Gurudeva when he...
Planting Palms
April 28, 2013Over the retreat several of the monks and Adi went over to Himalayan Acres to plant palms. These Areca Palms are just a few hundred of the eight hundred that we intend to plant. After planting this palm, Sivanadiyar Jaya stamps the dirt down around it. Adi is getting ahead...
A New Phase Begins
April 27, 2013This morning the monastery enjoyed its first Homa since Satguru Bodhinatha's Return. There were many devotees in attendance including several guests who helped with the chanting of Sri Rudram, giving it extra strength. Bodhinatha burned prayers to the devas that were written by monks and devotees. From Living with Siva...