Life and Spirituality

A view of a Jamun (black berry tree), Morinda and grape wine in author's home T o produce all of one’s own food one would have to live on a farm. However, even the smallest apartment, even a small studio apartment can produce some of its own food and it is a pity if a home does not. Mung bean sprouts, a power house of nutrients can be grown right on a kitchen shelf. Just soak half a cupful of them for eight hours, drain and leave in a covered pot for two or three days while sprinkling with a little water every time you enter the kitchen.In three days it will fill up the pot with delicious mung bean sprouts. Many useful herbs such as celery, cilantro, parsley and basil are lovely in flower pots by a window. There is even a small pretty tree – the curry leaf tree – that looks lovely in a flower pot and its leaves are a delight when added to vegetarian preparations. Even nicer is a long rectangular container in which they may all grow together as a collage, your

T oday I was reminded of older articles in this blog on an ancient magical plant called Soma. A drink from this plant gave ancient Aryans magical powers of mind, body and soul. The interested reader will easily find articles on it through using the search tool in the left side bar. Details there are not repeated here. The ancient Soma plant is now lost or extinct. Several scholars have made many attempts to identify it in modern times, from ephedra to magic mushrooms,   each one supporting his own proposals enthusiastically but in the opinion of this author none seem to fit the bill. In the last decade or so, availability of internet and google search makes the task of a world wide search of plants much easier. This blogger did precisely that some time ago leading to articles just mentioned. As a result of the search, the author narrowed down two plants that came closest to ancient descriptions. These are the Cornus Sericea as found in North America presently and the

   ---------------------------------------------------- NOTE: This blog post is an extract from a more formal note with some informal elaboration, from https://www.scribd.com/doc/266317668/On-the-Identification-of-Soma-of-Rig-Veda-with-Cornus-SericeaSoma-Article ------------------------------------------------------- Thou by thine insight art most wise, O Soma, strong by thine energies and all possessing, Mighty art thou by all thy powers and greatness, by glories art thou glorious, guide of mortals...,    Rig Veda   T he previous post described the god of plants, Soma that made humans who consumed its juice processed in a certain manner like immortal gods. Please do read that post to appreciate this one fully.  The god of plants was lost to mankind ever since ancient times .   It may be pointed out that even though Soma became extinct in ancient times in the Himalayas especially in areas where it was usually collected from, perhaps because of excess harvesting, it