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Jai to the Nandinatha Sampradaya!

Jai to the Kailasa Parampara!

Jai Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami!

Today we celebrate Satguru’s 82nd Jayanti. Throughout the day, many blessings and good wishes have been coming in from throughout the world, and this evening the monks will enjoy a special evening meal with Satguru. The monks of the Siddhidatta kulam have been preparing the bountiful feast, while others have been gathering special gifts and decorating.

Leave your birthday wishes in the comments and we’ll make sure Satguru gets them!

From the Kularnava Tantra:

“And Lord Siva said: How can My subtle perfection, which is one, omnipresent, attributeless, indifferent, undecaying, unattached like space, unbeginning and unending, be an object of worship for the dualistic mind? Hence it is that I as the Supreme Guru have entered into the bodies of human Satgurus.

“Even My gross aspect, being full of light and energy, is imperceptible to human eyes. For this reason I have assumed the form of the Satguru in the world, and thus protect the race of sishyas.

“As Mahesvara, in human body I secretly wander on the Earth in order to favor sishyas. As Sadasiva, I assume the modest and merciful form for the protection of sadhakas. Though remaining above samsara, yet I appear and act in this world as though I were a man of samsara.

“When the fruits of sin predominate, Satguru is seen as a person. And when the fruits of virtuous acts prevail, Satguru is seen as Siva. Like blind men deprived forever of seeing the sun, unfortunate jivas are unable to see the real Satguru, the embodiment of Mahesvara, though He is present before their eyes. It is undoubtedly true that Satguru is Deva Sadasiva Himself, for who is it that grants Liberation to seekers if Satguru be not Siva Himself?

“O Beloved, there is not the least difference between Deva Sadasiva and Sriguru. Whoever makes a distinction between them commits a sin. For by assuming the form of a preceptor, the Gurudeva severs the multitude of bonds which bind jivas to the state of pasu and enables them to attain the Self, Parasivam.“

Aum Namah Sivaya

The torn shades are being taken down

The shade on the other side of the Greenhouse

Sadhaka Shankaranatha cleaning the Greenhouse using the Pressure Washer

Our monastic greenhouses where created by, and have long been cared for by, the monks of the Siddhidatta Kulam. After many years of Kauai’s weather, the shades are now in need of some deep cleaning and repairs. Due the the strong UV sunlight we have here, the shades had started to deteriorate. This is bad for many reasons, one of the main ones being that the plants are no longer as protected from the sun. These shades automatically go up and down based on the sunlight and heat. If it’s too bright, they lower to protect the fragile plants from the light and if it’s cloudy out, they raise up to offer as much light as possible. The SK Team decided to replace the torn shades with new ones, but in the process discovered that the greenhouse needed to be thoroughly washed. Today they spent the morning pressure washing the greenhouse to make it look like new.

Jai Ganesha!

One of the stories being assembled for the next issue of Hinduism Today, January 2025, is the traveling outdoor art exhibition called the Great Elephant Migration.
It is created by Elephant Family USA, a charity that works to protect Asian wildlife. One hundred life-size elephant sculptures are traveling across the USA over a one year, one month period to raise awareness and funds for conservation projects. The elephants are made of Lantana camara, the second most invasive species in the world which is toxic to humans and elephants. This fast-growing shrub has taken over 40% of forests in India, thus diminishing food sources for animals and forcing them to seek sustenance in urban areas. Stay tuned for the full story.

Sadhaka Shankaranatha putting the soil around the new papya tree

Ta-da!! New Papaya trees

The new papaya trees standing tall along with the old papaya trees where its days are being numbered

Sadhaka is happy about the new papaya trees

As everyone knows, the monks here loves papayas, but did you know that we grow them by ourselves? The trees are taken care of by our monks of the Siddhidatta Kulam, who have been wonderfully managing them for many years. But just like all things, these trees must eventually conclude their time on this beautiful Earth. So recently, the SK team decided to plant some new papaya trees, replacing the older ones that have been producing delicious fruits for many years.

As you can see in these pictures, Sadhaka Shankaranatha is working hard to plant the new trees. First they have to dig a hole around the old trees, going deep for their roots. Once the old tree has been removed, they plant the new papaya tree. Once placed in the ground, new soil and mulch is added. As you can see, it requires quite a lot of work to upkeep our many papaya trees and ensure that our monks have an everlasting supply of these healthy, tasty fruits!

Jai Ganesha!