Welcome to the World

why should I not eat meat?

2010-01-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

Q. God in his infinite wisdom made the world the way it is, I don’t understand why should I not eat meat? I am a born non–vegetarian and I am not able to leave non-veg.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Ok. What is it that makes you crave for non-vegetarian? (The lady answered smell and taste). What brings the smell and taste to the food is spices. Ok, forget all about taste and smell and spirituality. You know, what is the latest finding of non–vegetarian food? One kg of meat is equivalent to the meals of 400 people. If only 10 percent of the world population become vegetarians, the problem of global warming will be reduced.

On this count we have to save the planet. We will have to reduce the consumption of non-vegetarian food. For the sake of the planet, so that everybody gets food, for that we must be concerned. God has given us the sense to care for others and planet also! You have eaten enough, so consume a little less so that others who have nothing to eat can have a little at least, so that more and more people gets something to eat.

We are consuming 40 -50 percent more than we produce. Plant trees, be vegetarian, it’s part of being spiritual. Spirituality is not only meditation. India had 400 cows for every 1,000 people when we got independence. Now we have less than 100 cows per 1,000 people. In 20 years, there will be only 20 cows per 1,000 people. Children will not get the basic staple diet like milk, yogurt, ghee. We have to protect the animals, and save the planet.

Ashtavakra Gita - The Song of the Eightfold Cripple

2009-12-18T01:16:00.000-08:00

Watching ashtavakra CDs is a revolutionary experience for any one on the path. Ultimate form of knowledge anybody and everybody will require in the planet :).

Wiki

The story: Once upon a time there was a student of the scriptures who could not support his family. He would work hard all day every day and then read aloud the holy language of sacred verses late into the night. His wife, round of belly with their coming child, would sit beside him in the dim room, listening as her weary beloved chanted the ancient words. One late night in her eighth month a voice from inside her belly said to the father: “Sir, please be attentive - you are mispronouncing that verse.” Tired and short-tempered, without thinking why he would feel so enraged at being corrected by an unborn child, the father cursed the voice - and because the father had built up merit, his curse took hold: the child was born deformed, with eight crooks in his body. That child was called Ashtavakra, a name which means ‘eight bends’. Everyone who saw him laughed in derision. That crippled child was an enlightened master who took birth in this family to reveal in simple words the essence of mystical experience. Janaka, king of the known world, father of the bride of God, Sita, daughter of the earth, that very King Janaka became this crippled boy’s disciple. The book based on that event is called The Song of the Eightfold Cripple, or Ashtavakra Gita.

Youtube

original sanskrit text: click here

WikiSource

Tintumon Revolution

2009-12-18T00:16:00.000-08:00

Couldnt resist pasting here.......enjoy!!

"DOSA
Teacher: Name the liquid which changes to solid when heated
Tintumon: Dosa

BEGGAR
Bus Cunductor: Why are you standing near the door, is your father a watchman?
Tintu Mon: Why are you always asking for “Change”, Is your father a Beggar ??

PROFESSOR
A professor to tintumon: “what is attention deficit hyperactive disorder?”
tintumon: “JIMBALAKDI BAMBA”
professor: “i dont understand anything”
tintumon: “same 2 you”

MOTHER
Father to Tintumon: Why can't you not think every woman as your mother?
Tintumon: I can, but if i did so, what will people think of you?

LKG-TINTUMON
To be is to do(Socrates)
To do is to be(Plato)
To be or not to be(Shakespeare)
Scoo be do be dooo(Tintu mon, LKG)……..

CHEMISTRY [Too Good]
Teacher : What is “Al2 O3″ ?
Ramu : Alumina.
Teacher: Tintu, What is ‘Fe2 O3″?
Tintumon : “Filomina”

DINESHAN
Teacher :What is the name of Gandhiji’s son?
Tintumon: Dineshan
Teacher :Why?????
Tintumon : Mahatma Gandhi is the father of di-neshan"

Spider fry

2009-09-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

I was enjoying my first spider outside Phnom Pen market when I heard a highly agitated voice behind me: "Oh my Gaahd, what are yooouu eating?" Turning, I saw an American tourist staring at me with an understandable mixture of revulsion and fascination. Trying to sound casual, I replied: "Spider - would you like a leg?"
She stood for a couple of moments, mouth gaping soundlessly before grabbing her husband, who was busily working a flashy video camera: "Dan! Dan! The boy is eating a spider!" Working on a variant of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle - nothing exists until you video it - Dan swung his costly optics round and I obligingly stuffed the thing in my mouth while she continued to goggle. Once Dan had captured the moment for posterity they left, she still more than a little horrified.
Although my spider wasn't quite as delicious as the Americans' reactions, it was pleasant enough for something that looked like a Hallowe'en prop. My epicuriosity was piqued so I asked the spider seller about her trade. She spoke no English but a nearby taxi-bike driver did and, through him, she explained that she was a mere metropolitan outpost of arachnid cuisine; if I were serious about my spiders - or a-ping as they're known locally - I needed to head to the town of Skuon, some 55 miles north of Phnom Pen.

................. that is how a Combodian's travelog will be... read more @ http://www.rhymer.net/cutsE.htm

Why are the British so much funnier than we are?

2009-09-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Got this mail from Nithin, could not stop pasting it here... he he he...

UP movie review

2009-08-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

I enjoyed this movie, from the second row in the theater. Cartoon movies are really heart breaking.

Before The Rains - movie review

2009-08-19T00:49:00.001-07:00

Before The Rains, directed by Santosh Sivan, is a tragic tale of love, death and guilt set against a backdrop of the emerging nationalist movement in the 30s.

Sivan's camera captures Kerala's images of lush, rolling hills, covered in sparkling green foliage and crystalline waters.

The film is mostly in English, with even most of the Malayali actors speaking in English, and only sparse pockets of Malayalam.

Major roles are played by Linus Roache, Nandita Das, Rahul Bose, Tilakan, Lal..

Famous vegetarian personalities

2009-08-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Abdul Kalam Dr., President of India and Space Scientist - info

Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States - info

Albert Einstein, renowned scientist - info

Amitabh Bachchan, Indian celebrity superstar - info

Brad Pitt, actor - info

Bryan Adams, singer and songwriter - info

John Abraham, actor Bollywood - info

Kate Winslet, actress - info

Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian painter and inventor - info

Pamela Anderson, actress - info

Rabindranath Tagore, Eastern Indian philosopher - info

Thomas Alva Edison, renowned inventor - info

More @

http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html

Vote for sexiest celebrity @

http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/aug/05/slide-show-1-glamour-poll-whos-the-sexiest-vegetarian-celeb.htm

Are you ready to Wave?

2009-08-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

I received my Google Wave developer account enabled and got a glimpse of the tool today. Please add me to contacts, if anybody out here got the enabled. My id is sunandk@wavesandbox.com, sunandk-test@wavesandbox.com
For those who have not heard of Wave: Google Wave is a new tool for communication and collaboration on the web, coming later this year. Demo is available @ http://wave.google.com

Power of now

2009-07-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching the DVD talk by Eckhart Tolle. It is really awesome. No words to express! Here is the link for the book.
http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=sQYqRCIhFAMC&pg=PP1&dq=power+of+now

Back to winamp

2009-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Started using winamp after a long time, it gave a nostalgic feeling of college days. Could not resist installing winamp with classic theme, lot of options in the media library. I imported all my mp3s to media library, and renamed the genre with category in the way I wanted.

I also liked the option to change the play list entries to show the filenames without extension. Also, installed few sound enhancers, still looking for the best sound enhancer. Winamp really rocks with my sennheiser headphone.

New Job Titles

2009-06-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

Could not resist pasting this here, from my Inbox.

OLD TITLES : NEW TITLES

Garden Boy : Landscape Executive and Animal Nutritionist

House Maid : Family Environs Upkeep Manager

Receptionist : Front Office Manager/Office Access Control

Typist: Printed Document Handler

Messenger : Business Communications Conveyer

Window Cleaner : Transparent Wall Technician

Temporary Teacher : Associate Tutor

Tea Boy : Refreshment Overseer

Garbage Collector : Public Sanitation Technician

Watchman : Theft Prevention and Surveillance Officer

Prostitute : Practical Sexual Relations Officer

Thief : Wealth Distribution Officer

Driver : Automobile Propulsion Specialist

Maid : Domestic Operations Specialist

Employee without Portfolio : Administration Manager

Cook : Food Preparation Officer

Unemployed : Township Management

Gossiping : Research Management

Veggie talk again

2009-01-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

Firo rocks again with his thoughts – it often happens on lunch breaks, makes sense to me and interesting too , so thought of sharing. hope u guys will enjoy it.

Though from a non veggie which was brought to Firo (a veggie by choice)

Firo: Situation: damn hungry- nothing around –on a long drive……..
Vehicle happened to bank royally to a mango tree with sparkling yellow ready to serve mangos falling like rain drops – lucky ?? yea unlucky ?

Non Veggie: Of course lucky, coz I got lots of mangos out of the blue when badly needed

Firo: Replace Mango tree with a chicken, little chicken’s leg was broken. What will you feel????

Non Veggie: I will feel sad about it, because I broke the leg of the chicken

Firo: Why should you feel that way, you should have felt yummy about it, since that was your favorite meal indeed. ;-) .........

ABC of Life

2009-01-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

A wareness, belongingness and commitment hold the key to success. They form the ABC of life. In any field, we need ABC. Are we aware of what we are telling ourselves? This level of awareness is vital for society because this is what can prevent crime. With this level of awareness, it is impossible for a criminal to commit a crime.

There was a thief. He went to meet a saint. He told the saint that he had a compulsion to steal. The saint said, "I am not going to tell you not to steal. But, when you steal, do it with awareness." Three months later, the thief came back to the saint and said, "With awareness, I could not steal."

It is the same with anger. It comes with a burst, you lose it. But, what have you actually lost? You lost awareness. You can arouse passion, and that passion can become an impulse to destroy. But, to be creative, you don't need to arouse a passion, you need to be focused and, most importantly, you need to be aware.

Expand your awareness

Now, how to bring up one’s awareness? You start with simple and small things in life. Things that seem insignificant, like hearing the birds singing, seeing the sun set, and so on. This would bring up your awareness.

Awareness nurtures intellect. Belongingness nurtures the heart. And, commitment nurtures life. The problem is that creators are only a few, and they succeed because they have a lot of commitment.

If we are observing the ABC, then we can make a big change in society. Ask yourself the question: do all people in the world belong to me? The day you ask that your spiritual journey has begun. With this context of awareness, you can understand cosmology.

In some temples, there is a tradition called sankalpa. It reminds you how old this Universe is, and then from there, it brings you into this moment. Cosmology brings awareness. Other methods for raising awareness are meditation, breathing and pranayama. You need energy and you will not get that only from food and sleep. Meditation and a silent state of consciousness will also give you energy.

C is also for commitment and compassion. Smile more. A bit of humour can keep you out of trouble. Look into the mirror everyday, and smile. The higher you go up in the corporate ladder, the smile starts shrinking. I measure success by the smile. How strong your smile is will show how secure you are. And, this is what, I think, indicates success in your career.

Smile your way through

To be able to smile through any situation in life, you need a little knowledge about yourself, about your mind and your consciousness. You need to learn a little bit about your breath. We need to know a little bit about all the layers of our existence: that is, body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego, and the self. This is what I call Art of Living, learning a little bit about yourself; the seven layers of our life. And, that makes us live in the present-moment, and it helps us to maintain the innocence that we are all born with, and feel at home with everybody, anywhere.

Does anybody teach you, at school or at home, what to do when you are upset, or angry, or depressed?

Learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has a great lesson for us, which we have forgotten. For every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath; for every rhythm in the breath, there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind directly, you can do it through breath. The rhythm in breath can help you get in touch with the depth of yourself, your soul, your consciousness.

The ABC of life brings expansion. It brings an awareness of existence, belongingness to the whole creation, and commitment to human values in life.

This will help broaden our vision and deepen our roots.

-Sri Sri Ravishankar

Breath of Life

2009-01-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The world would be free from trouble if there is no love! All the problem in the world is caused by love! So also all the joy, pleasure and the very purpose in life. Do you see what I’m saying? Suppose there is no love, you can’t be jealous; jealousy is because of love. Greed is because you love objects too much. Anger is because you love perfection, that is why you are angry at imperfections. You love yourself too much and that’s why pride and arrogance comes to you. Isn’t it?

So, every distortion of love causes problems not only for ourselves, but for everybody. Even though this is the case, without love what is there in life? Just imagine there’s nobody who loves you on this planet, and you don’t love anybody. Does life have any meaning, any purpose? It appears absolutely depressing, boring, uninteresting, isn’t it so? But, how do we get to that point of love where that love is free from the distortions and we are able to be at ease with ourself?

This is where a little knowledge about ourself, about our mind, our consciousness, and the root of distortion will help. It is when you are tired and exhausted that you are not in touch with your virtues. Every individual is bestowed with all the virtues in the world. They simply get covered by lack of understanding. All that is needed is to just to uncover the virtues that are already there.

Never should we think, ‘‘Oh, deep inside me there is sorrow’’. I say it’s only skin deep, go a little deeper there is no sorrow. You cannot have hurt deep inside you, that only means you have not gone deep enough. That’s why we are unable to forgive somebody because we think that person has caused us hurt. Right? But if you look at the person from a different perspective, that person himself is also a victim of ignorance, small mindedness, lack of awareness. So, inside every culprit there is a victim crying for help. If we can recognise that we don’t need to forgive them, we will feel compassion for them.

When we are happy, something in us is expanding, have you noticed it? And when we are upset, something in us is being crushed, a sense of contraction is felt. Just knowing this brings freedom to us. Then our mind or our consciousness no more becomes a puppet of anybody’s words, opinions or their sayings. It becomes free. We are unconditionally happy.

Each of us should reach out to everyone and say, ‘‘Hey, come on, just be friendly!’’. Do you know that a child smiles 400 times a day, an adolescent only 17 times, and an adult doesn’t smile at all. And that too, if he becomes a little successful, he becomes much more stiff. I can’t understand this! To me, someone who has no fear, who feels at home with everybody and has a smile which no one can take away is a successful person.

From today, make one resolution — that you are going to be a guiding lamp for the world, for the people around you. Wherever you go, you are going to uplift the atmosphere. If someone comes to you with complaints they should go back with a lighter heart, feeling more enthusiastic. Can you all do this?

So, learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has a great lesson to teach us, which we have forgotten, for every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath, for every rhythm in the breath there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind directly, through breath you can handle the mind.

Neither at school nor at home does anybody teach you what to do when you are upset or angry or depressed. Isn’t that so? The first thing we did when we came to this planet is that we took a deep breath in and then we started to cry. The last thing we’ll be doing, we’ll breathe out and make others cry! In between, the whole life, we are breathing in and out, but, we have learnt very little about our breath! No breath, no life... know breath, know life! The rhythm in breath can help us get in touch with the depth of ourself, our soul, our consciousness, our being and we feel connected with everybody, with everything in the world.

I am sure that deep within you, everyone of you feel that you have not grown, meaning you have not changed, not grown old. This indicates the soul in you, the depth in you, the spirit in you doesn’t change, doesn’t grow old, it’s not aging. The body is aging but something in you is not aging. Getting in touch with that something that doesn’t age, brings beauty in life. That is meditation.

We need to learn a little bit about our breath. We need to know a little bit about all the layers of our existence, viz body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego and the self. This is what I call Art of Living, learning a little bit about ourself, the seven layers of our life. And that makes you be in the present moment and it helps us to maintain the innocence that we are all born with, and feel at home with everybody, anywhere.

What I would suggest is take one week off every year for yourself, like you take your car for servicing. During that time, align yourself with nature, wake up with the sunrise, do some exercise, eat proper food, just as much food as necessary, some exercises, yoga, and some breathing exercises, a few minutes of singing, and keeping silence, enjoying the creation. Aligning ourself with nature, our whole system gets recharged, makes the whole year, we feel so vibrant, enthusiastic.

Broaden your Vision, Deepen your Roots

2008-12-26T05:37:00.000-08:00

http://www.ssrvm.org

Guruvasaram

2008-12-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

H H Sri Sri Ravishankar answers questions from Manorama Online readers:

http://www.manoramaonline.com/advt/Festival/Guruvasaram/index.htm

Question by: Kiran
Dear Guruji, now I am facing a big problem in my career life.I am working in a private company in Dubai, for the last couple of months.My problem is that, I can't do even a simple work completly.I cant complete the work on time.Everything is getting pending.I had thought about this thing so many times, but I doesn't get a proper solution for this.I have to do a lot of works in my office - it comes one after another, before completing the first one.But I have to do all in a priority basis.But unfortunately, I can't do it properly.I am doing all those work, but it becomes the drawing in the water.Please provide a solution for this.Now I am also thingking about my future that, without become a professional, how can I get better oppertunities. I haven't seen U till now. But, U may please provide a proper solution for this problem by either ur writings in Manorama or by return mail. Waiting for your mail......Regards,Kiran K. S.
Answer : SRI SRI : It is the desire that tires you - the 'want' in the mind. Your mind tires you more than the physical work. If you are willing to do some work, even 15 hours at a stretch, it will not tire you but if you are not willing and you have to work even for four hours, it will tire you. For eg , you have a party at home or you are arranging Onam /Vishu decorations. So you may work many late hours but still not feel tired. You feel good about it. But you work in some place you don't like, you'd like to have four coffee or tea breaks and even then you feel it's tiring! Don't do any work at all. Just sit and go on thinking. You'll be terribly exhausted. For many people, the tiredness and exhaustion comes from thinking and worrying, not by working. Thinking you need rest makes you restless. Thinking you have to work hard makes you tired. Thinking you have worked hard brings self pity. So, learn some techniques which will give you deep rest, deeper than sleep. Deeper your rest, you can be more dynamic .

Question by: Dr.Geetha
Even though I have strong belief in GOD,when I face misfortunes in life,I feel depressed and worried.I faced many tragedies in life and overcame all these with the help of GOD without much side effects.I did nt get a Job, eventhough highly qualified.How can I get peace in mind with all worries in life.
Answer : SRI SRI : The way to overcome personal misery is to share universal misery! The way to expand personal joy is to share universal joy. Instead of thinking "what about me?" "what can I gain from this world?" think "what can I do for the world?" When everyone comes from the point of contributing to society, you have a Divine society. We have to educate and culture our individual consciousness in order to expand in time with the Knowledge . . . from "what about me?" to "what can I contribute?"

An engineer from IIT, now a farmer

2008-12-24T22:41:00.001-08:00

One of the most interesting themes at this year's Pan-IIT event was the session on rural transformation. IITians who have chosen an offbeat career hogged the limelight at the event.
http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/dec/23slide1-an-engineer-from-iit-now-a-farmer.htm

Morning Bliss!

2008-12-24T21:55:00.000-08:00

Morning drives are always unexplainably fascinating to me, especially after the late night shifts (Coz that is the only time I see the beauty of the morning ;) ). Even after lots of ciaos at office, I felt very grateful when sitting in the cab on the way back from office. I had lots of energy which made me to think that I can even sit in the office for another 12hrs. The cravings and complaints I had yesterday in the office were simply vanished. Mornings has some magic in it, which makes me so happy for no reason. I wish every moment in my life be like the morning bliss. I may have been getting irritated with some crazy dreams otherwise in the morning. So this morning drive was indeed a blissful to me.

I can never forget the early morning drives in Hosur road, never use to feel sleepy or tiered when coming back to home from office after the late night shifts. Never use to get scared even if the cab driver is driving between two heavily loaded biiig trucks in the morning.

Watching dew drops in the morning was another unexplainable experience. Hope to get those days back soooon..

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "And a second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." ( Matthew 22:37-40)

Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Beaches of Kannur, Kerala

2008-12-17T23:57:00.001-08:00

Payyambalam Beach is a beach in Kannur district of Kerala that attracts tourists and local people. It often finds mention in tourism related publications as a beautiful beach. It has now a garden close to it. The beach is just 2 km from Kannur town. A sculpture Mother and Child by Kanayi Kunhiraman is an attractive feature of the beach garden. A part of the garden is especially for children.

Baby Beach: It is called so as it is smaller than its bigger neighborhood, Payyambalam Beach. The famous St. Angelo Fort is adjacent to it.

Meenkunnu Beach: Situated at Azhikode, it is hardly a few kilometers from the town. The virgin beach is a tourist’s paradise with golden sand and surf.

Mopila Bay: Situated near the St. Angelo’s Fort. The Kadalayi Fort and Sree Krishna Temple were quite famous. The remnants of the fort and the temple are still seen in Mopila Bay. A fishing harbour, built with Indo Norwegian project assistance, can be seen at this bay. Boating in the sea, if the weather permits, will be an unforgettable experience.

Kizhunna Ezhara Beach: 11 km from kannur, this beautiful stretch of sand is one of the most secluded beaches in kerala.

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach: A long clean beach, its enchanting ambiance invites you to swim, sunbathe or just lounge around. It is Kerala’s only drive-in beach and one could drive the entire length of 4 km. Muzhappilangad beach is situated about 5 km north of Thalassery and 15 km from Kannur. There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves, leading to the beach. The beach is about 5 kilometers long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur beach on the north. To the South and about 200 metres away from the beach there is a beautiful island called the "Green Island" which adds to the allure of the beach. Such a conjunction of beach and island is rare.

Dharmadam Island: (100 metres away from the mainland at Dharmadam): The small 5 acre (20,000 m²) island covered with coconut palms and dense bushes is a beautiful sight from the Muzhappilangad beach. During low tide, one can just walk to the island from the beach. It is surrounded by rivers and seas. Permission is required to enter this privately owned island. Dharmadam, earlier known as Dharmapattanam was a Buddhist stronghold.

"Not-interested- in-voting- for-anyone" ?

2008-12-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Got this mail from BM Yahoo Group:

Please Read this its very important and Necesary to change our system!!!! CHANGE is the Keyword Did you know the power of registering your vote as "Not-interested- in-voting- for-anyone" ? read the below! As per the 1969 act, in section "49-O" that a person can go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone! Yes such a feature is available, but obviously these seemingly notorious leaders have never disclosed it. This is called "49-O". Why should you go and say "I VOTE NOBODY"... because, in a ward, if a candidate wins, say by 123 votes, and that particular ward has received "49-O" votes more than 123, then that polling will be cancelled and will have to be re-polled. Not only that, but the candidature of the contestants will be removed and they cannot contest the re-polling, since people had already expressed their decision on them.

This would bring fear into parties and hence look for genuine candidates for their parties for election. This would change the way, of our whole political system... it is seemingly surprising why the election commission has not revealed such a feature to the public.... Please spread this news to as many as you know... Seems to be a wonderful weapon against corrupt parties in India... show your power, expressing your desire not to vote for anybody, is even more powerful than voting... so don't miss your chance. So either vote, or vote not to vote (vote 49-O) and pass this info on... "Please forward this mail to as many as possible, so that we, the people of India , can really use this power to save our nation". Use your voting right for a better INDIA.

Easy to make - Pita toast

2008-12-12T23:23:00.000-08:00

Shopping list:

1. Pita bread
2. Onion
3. Tomato
4. Potato
5. Green Chili
6. Black pepper powder
7. Nuts, Raisins, Dates
8. Salt

Method:

Pile the mixture of sliced onion, potato, tomato and green chill on top of the pita bread. Add some salt. Bake for 4 minutes on high power level. You will get a crispy Pita toast. Decorate with nuts/raisins/dates and black pepper powder.

Ayurveda - the heritage way of health care

2008-12-11T02:35:00.000-08:00

Ayurveda is not only the science of preventive health and healing, but also the philosophy of living. It is not merely a system of treating by symptoms; rather curing by removing the cause of malady from the rich legacies left us by Rishis, the holy bards of ancient India.

As a treatment method, it is based on the theory of "tridosham" by which we can assess the condition of the body, and can select the drug and method of treatment

Ayurveda has a well-developed materia medica, describing more than 1,500 plants.

In Sanskrit, the word Ayurveda comprises the words āyus, meaning 'life' and veda, meaning 'science'. The earliest literature of Ayurveda appeared during the Vedic period. The Sushruta Samhita and the Charaka Samhita were influential works on traditional medicine during this era. Ayurvedic practitioners also identified a number of medicinal preparations and surgical procedures for curing various ailments and diseases.

The concept of Panchakarma is believed to eliminate toxic elements from the body.

Eight disciplines of Ayurveda treatment, called Ashtanga are given below:

Surgery (Shalya-chkitsa).
Treatment of diseases above the clavicle (Salakyam).
Internal medicine (Kaya-chikitsa).
Demonic possession (Bhuta vidya): Ayurveda believes in demonic intervention and—as a form of traditional medicine—identifies a number of ways to counter the supposed effect of these interferences. Bhuta vidya has been called psychiatry.
Paediatrics (Kaumarabhrtyam).
Toxicology (Agadatantram).

Prevention and building immunity (rasayanam).

Aphrodisiacs (Vajikaranam).

Some Ayurvedic Tips:

Mixture of equal quantities of honey and ginger juice is a good expectorant. It gives immediate relief in symptoms like cold, cough, sore throat, congestion of chest and runny nose.

Mix half a gram of black pepper powder with honey and ginger juice mixture (equal quantity). Take this mixture at least three times a day. It helps to cure asthma

A must read post relating to Bakrid

2008-12-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

http://parvita.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/the-slaughtering-day-idul-qurban/