News

Source INDIA, November 30, 2016 (Swarajya, by Aravindan Neelakandan): In April, 2016, in the renowned journal Frontiers of Psychology, Anthony Trewavas, a molecular biologist from University of Edinburgh, who has been working on plant perceptions, published a paper in which he stated: “Environmental awareness likely indicates consciousness. Spontaneity in plant behavior, ability to count to five and error correction indicate…

Source It’s important to go into solitude from time to time and think about God, especially for those who busy themselves day and night with worldly duties and responsibilities. When the plant is young, it should be fenced on all sides, otherwise goats and cattle may eat it up. — Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836‚Äì1886)

Source LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, November 30, 2016 (New York Times): When it released a new 5-pound note in September, the Bank of England said the new polymer bills were stronger, safer and better for the environment. One thing they are not, it turns out, is meat-free. To the dismay of vegans and vegetarians across Britain, the Bank of England has…

Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 27, 2016 (Sunday Guardian Live): Around 300-400 manuscripts exist on different types of yoga in India’s treasure box, not one of which has been deciphered. According to the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), these are part of the approximately ten million manuscripts in the country that are yet to be published. In fact, less than…

Source VIJAYAWADA, INDIA, November 30, 2016 (The Hindu): A lot of water must have flowed down the Pamba River in the past two decades and many changes have taken place in the journey to the popular Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala. Joint Director of Ground Water and Ayyappa devotee A. Varaprasada Rao who had been to Sabarimala nearly two dozen times…

Source SEREMBAN, MALAYSIA, November 17, 2016 (The Star): Vegetarians can now enjoy their meals without any worry when dining at cafeterias in government hospitals and other medical facilities. This follows a directive from the Health Ministry that these cafeteria operators must provide food that is strictly vegetarian to anyone who patronized their outlet. Ministry director-general Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah…

Source UNITED STATES, November 22, 2016 (Lassi With Lavina, by Lavina Melwani): If Thanksgiving is a festival of gratitude, then Indians have been preparing for it their whole lives. In India, take a walk down the Mumbai waterfront in the early morning mist, and you see ordinary citizens quietly feeding the fish and the birds. Their daily day doesn’t really…

Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 26, 2016 (The Peninsula Qatar): Students elegantly curve their hands before breaking into synchronized footwork at a class in New Delhi, where growing numbers are signing up for Indian traditional dance classes rooted in Hindu mythology. Class participants range from from pre-teens to surgeons and marketing managers — but they have all chosen to learn…

Source You need to be a great theist before you can become a great monist. Theistic practices of humility, service and worship form the basis of yoga, which then leads to levels of samadhi and monistic realizations. It is a ladder with definite, clear steps. — Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today

Source If all the land were turned to paper and all the seas turned to ink, and all the forests into pens to write with, they would still not suffice to describe the greatness of the guru. — Kabir (1440-1518), Indian Saint