March 1997

Quotes & Quips

"Nonviolence is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by man." Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

"The nuclear family is just waiting to explode." Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, on the trend of families breaking apart

A mountain climber falls off the edge of a precipitous cliff, but halfway to the bottom, grabs a protruding root and hangs on. Casting his eyes heavenward, he cries out, "Is anyone up there?" A voice floats down to him, saying, "Yes, my son. Let go of that root you hold, and I will bring thee up here." After a long pause the man reappealed, "Anyone else up there?"

Disciple: "O, all knowing one, take me to the place of perfect peace."
Master: "If I take you there, it will no longer be peaceful."

Amassing great wealth is gradual, like the gathering of a theater crowd. Its dispersal is sudden, like that same crowd departing. Tirukural, Verse 332

"If you create enough papa (bad karma), you'll need another mama."

"Being a vegetarian doesn't actually make you live longer. It just seems longer."

"East meets West and West eats meat." Title of a song on Tana Mana, by sitarist Ravi Shankar.

A minister and an unbeliever engaged in a public debate. The minister was declared the winner because, after listening to his opponent, the unbeliever snickered, "Thank God I'm an atheist!"

DID YOU KNOW?
Smokin' Guns!
Gunpowder, the first explosive invented, is a potent mixture of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal used to power guns, cannons and artillery. It was long thought that the Chinese invented it, but recent translations of ancient Hindu manuscripts issued from an American university prove that Hindus had the formula long before it was recorded in China.