"IF, AFTER RETURNING FROM CONTEMPLATION, YOU ARE CAPABLE OF BEHAVING AS BEFORE, YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TRANSFORMED."

Anandamayi Ma(1896?1982), God-intoxicated yogini and mystic Bengali saintFrank and Ernest

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He's sort of like an Indian yogi. He has this extraordinary inner calm, which means that he can absorb an extraordinary amount of pressure, without it ruffling either his external behavior, or his internal ability to handle situations as they come up. Shashi Tharur, executive assistant to United Nations General Secretary Kofi Anan, describing (on the TV show "Sixty Minutes") the refined inner strength possessed by Mr. Anan as he recently negotiated a deal with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to permit U.N. weapons inspectors access to royal palaces. Kofi Anan is the son of an African chieftain.

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

I love India. I love everything about India. I love the smells. I love the extremes. I have never been anywhere I have felt so totally overwhelmed. You can fall in love with India for a million reasons. I have fallen in love with the Asian elephant, and because they are so deeply connected to the soul of India, once you love the elephant, you have to love India too. American actress Goldie Hawn in a video about the Asian elephant. She daily worships Lord Ganesha.

A day without sunshine is like–night.

Make your life very exciting, but always think of it as fun. Adversities as well as the harmony should be enjoyable. Don't become sober and morose and have a castor oil face in the name of spirituality. Just be happy. Even if you make a mistake, say, "Hey, I did this? Great! What a wonderful lesson I learned!" Renowned spiritual teacher Swami Satchidananda (1914?), head of the Light of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) in Yogaville, Virginia

On the other hand, you have five fingers.

Early ethnographers were largely men, who despite showing considerable interest in nakedness, showed much less in clothes. Researcher Emma Tarlo in her book Clothing Matters, Dress and Identity in India

DID YOU KNOW?
"As Old as the Hills"
The weathering of wind and water erosion eventually wears a grand mountain down to a humble hill. The Aravallis in northwestern India is the oldest mountain range in the world. Yet, over the 700 million years of its existence it has been reduced almost to sea level. The lofty Himalayas are the youngest system in the world–only about 50 million years old.